killer rin
Member
Instantly caught my attention... Can't wait to read it!
I love the premise of this book. I am excited!
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Halo Lore Thread
- Thread starter Korten
- Start date
wesleyshark
Banned
Why??? They are so damned good!
Poodlestrike
Banned
No. They're Karin Traviss novels, with all that entails.
wesleyshark
Banned
I fail to see why that's a bad thing, as those three books, plus Ghosts of Onyx are quite excellent reads. There's just so much lore packed into those books, it's almost a borderline infodump.
Not to mention all of the AI stuff that gets explored in Mortal Dictata. So good.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Ghost of Onyx is great, no question about that. But the Traviss books are, well, Traviss books. There's some decent writing, interesting plots, and an utter disregard for the existing status quo and anvilicious expounding on her views that makes them nigh-unreadable. Same deal with her Star Wars and Gears novels.
wesleyshark
Banned
What kind of disregard?
I really dug Glasslands, though.
I'm pretty excited for this, has the potential to be great.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Halsey on the demonization of ONI and the UNSC. Both the individual and the organizations needed to be taken down a notch, but Traviss just goes beyond the pale. Suddenly, Halsey is Hitler, and ONI is so cackling evil they cease to be competent. This is not, in and of itself, a problem, but Traviss just keeps pounding the point in over and over and over. Spartan Ops did a much better job portraying a more nuanced version of things.
It gets better after Glasslands, but still.
EDIT: also, checking the tvtropes pages is a laugh; the first one is fairly well fleshed out, the second is a stub, and the third barely exists at all. People just lost patience with her stuff.
wesleyshark
Banned
I didn't get that disregard from her Halo novels whatsoever. Halsey did some monstrous stuff, and it needed to be addressed. The UNSC is heading down the same road as the Forerunners did when their empire was in charge. It's a parallel path to self destruction as ONI gains more power. I kind of like that a lot. Humanity is far from perfect, and it's being explored quite extensively.
I thought it was handled fantastically. Oh well. It's official lore though, so..
Poodlestrike
Banned
I didn't get that disregard from her Halo novels whatsoever. Halsey did some monstrous stuff, and it needed to be addressed. The UNSC is heading down the same road as the Forerunners did when their empire was in charge. It's a parallel path to self destruction as ONI gains more power. I kind of like that a lot. Humanity is far from perfect, and it's being explored quite extensively.
I thought it was handled fantastically. Oh well. It's official lore though, so..
See, here's the thing, that's what she does. It's an interesting idea, and a theme worth exploring, and then she hammers it home with so little nuance that it all just seems obnoxious. See: her Star Wars books. "Maybe the Jedi are the bad guys" is an interesting theme to pursue, but not when it's handled by making them into outright dog kickers. Same thing with ONI and Halsey. They got off easy in the Nylund material, and the dubious ethicality of what they did is certainly worth writing about, but Traviss just botches the whole thing.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Travis dials everything to 11 for no good reason. Still, the plot in of itself isn't bad, and we got some interesting characters out of it. BB is the best thing ever, though it's unlikely he'll appear in anything else...
Poodlestrike
Banned
BB was pretty great, yeah.
I'm not saying that the books had no redeeming factors, but damn the bad parts were so damn awful.
Still, I should probably give them a second chance at some point.
GringoSuave89
Banned
The worst parts of the books are the downtime they have just discussing Halsey, and when
. Otherwise it's an enjoyable ride.
they're actually in custody of Halsey
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if BB ends up being Locke's onboard AI with all the ONI involvement that appears to be happening in 5.
GringoSuave89
Banned
I would love that profusely, but it's doubtful seeing as:
a) he's approaching rampancy
b) he's technically Osman's personal AI
wesleyshark
Banned
I loved BB. He's such a delightful chap. :3
wesleyshark
Banned
Agreed. He's Osman's AI. Locke may have a brand new AI... However, it's not entirely impossible that BB fragments himself so that most of him remains with Osman and a piece of him goes with Locke. It's not like he hasn't done such before....
I'd be ecstatic to see him in any fashion in Halo 5, but I'd also like to see more AI characters. (Roland was a nice addition, too.)
GringoSuave89
Banned
Roland walks a fine line between funny and annoying. He has some great moments though.
I guess I got my dates wrong. BB was activated August 2552, so he'd be about 6 years old during the events of 5. It is possible they could use him again (and they should!) The BB fragment with Locke is actually a great idea.
wesleyshark
Banned
He's definitely got some time left. Let's not forget that 343 is going hard in the paint with the lives of AIs and the evolution and humanity of their existence. It's possible that both BB and Cortana have big roles left to play in that arena.
I believe Stinkles is working on that subject or something closely related, for his novella later this year. Not sure who the AI is or AIs are who will be the focus, but I'm betting that we're going to get a lot of depth thrown at us by the end of the year, and some pretty relevatory stuff in regards to how AIs evolve and quite even possibly reach metastability. There's just so much there that hasn't been touched on. Pretty stoked to see where they take it.
No it's not.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Oh, nice.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Frankie has a chance to really go hard in the paint with his short story. Mendicant Bias, Cortana, BB, etc. Lots of options for him. Looking forward to it for sure.
You just made my day. Pls don't crush hopes.
wesleyshark
Banned
wesleyshark
Banned
[Rampant Stream A]
So we got an official synopsis and cover art for one of the new Halo novels that will be released later this year! I'm excited. It's been posted about earlier by others quicker than myself, so I've taken the liberty to reshare both below for points of convenient reference for what I'll then toss out as a random observation below.
[Cover Art:]
[Synopsis:]
[Analysis:]
First things first, let's tackle these strange armless creatures which have certainly never been seen before in Halo... Right?
Take a gander, here:
And also:
These creatures are what are currently known as Blind Wolves. They haven't appeared in any official canon as of the present but they were originally intended to show up in Halo CE way back when, but for whatever reason, they were cut from the game entirely.
Not sure if they'll keep the name, but those are definitely the same beasts. Pretty neat stuff! At first glance, I instantly thought of the Halo 4 multilayer map where we can view these beasts in containment:
But as you can see, these one have what appear to be either forearms or forelegs. Not sure. Perhaps they are a mutated variant? Perhaps a different species altogether. Either way, just something I noticed and wanted to share.
So we got an official synopsis and cover art for one of the new Halo novels that will be released later this year! I'm excited. It's been posted about earlier by others quicker than myself, so I've taken the liberty to reshare both below for points of convenient reference for what I'll then toss out as a random observation below.
[Cover Art:]
[Synopsis:]
[Analysis:]
First things first, let's tackle these strange armless creatures which have certainly never been seen before in Halo... Right?
Take a gander, here:
And also:
These creatures are what are currently known as Blind Wolves. They haven't appeared in any official canon as of the present but they were originally intended to show up in Halo CE way back when, but for whatever reason, they were cut from the game entirely.
Not sure if they'll keep the name, but those are definitely the same beasts. Pretty neat stuff! At first glance, I instantly thought of the Halo 4 multilayer map where we can view these beasts in containment:
But as you can see, these one have what appear to be either forearms or forelegs. Not sure. Perhaps they are a mutated variant? Perhaps a different species altogether. Either way, just something I noticed and wanted to share.
wesleyshark
Banned
I had to look that one up... That's an interesting concept. A pretty neat trick to free up memory instead of the basic insta-vanish after a certain time. Granted, that's not really an issue anymore.
MrGreencastle
Member
To me it's obvious that BB is being set up as a Cortana replacement. At least for Locke. Could be wrong, though.
wesleyshark
Banned
I've been hoping for this or something along those lines. I just want more BB, either way.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Ditto. Love that little sarcastic bastard. Hope they nail the voice.
It's funny, I don't really develop mental images of characters in most novels that I read, and that extends to the voices too. Osman's appearance was a complete surprise to me.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Osman's appearance was a surprise to me as well. Honestly most of the characters I had a detail or two in my mind but overall no visual picture. BB was the sole exception.
wesleyshark
Banned
Yes yes yes yes. Osman was absolutely spot-on it was like they stole my brain waves to 3D map her look lol.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Idk, maybe cause I've yet to get a solid look at her. All we've gotten is her in game on Lasky's tv, and a (poorly drawn) depiction in the Escalation comics. She's a great character so I hope she shows up in Halo 5. Maybe then I'll get a better look and judge her appearance against my mental image.
wesleyshark
Banned
For some reason I kept going back and forth between hearing Ricky Gervais and David Hyde Pierce whenever BB would speak or monologue. I don't know if that would actually work or not in reality, but that's just where my brain went while reading those books haha.
GringoSuave89
Banned
No way Gervais. Maaaaaybe David Hyde Pierce, but not quite. Idk hard to explain. I think the Audiobook version of BB nailed what I pictured when I went back and listened to the Kilo Five Trilogy after reading them myself.
wesleyshark
Banned
I haven't listened to the audiobook version... I need to do that! Yeah, Gervais I can't explain why, nor do I think it would be a good fit in reality. DHP maybe. But I'll give the audiobook a go and see what he sounds like there.
GringoSuave89
Banned
The audiobook versions are great. The female voices are a bit odd, but that's obviously because a male is doing them.
killer rin
Member
I completely agree. Euan Morton did an amazing job voicing the characters in the Kilo=Five trilogy. BB in specific was amazing and I hope 343i tries to emulate it come his time to shine.
wesleyshark
Banned
Maybe they'll just use the same voice actor?
GringoSuave89
Banned
Too easy ;p I'd actually love that.
wesleyshark
Banned
That's been up for debate. Before the Escalation comics revealed that he had not died after falling into the slipspace rupture, it was theoried that it was a speech given to other Forerunners during their debate/trial over firing the Halos or not, or that it was a speech being made post-halo 4.
Seems more likely it was post-halo 4, now, given the context of his words, but to whom he was talking to remains to be revealed. It seems a bit too direct and expositional to be saying all of that to a bunch Prometheans, but I'm not sure who else would be an open and perceptive ear to all of that information.
Or it could just be a voice over monologue for monologue's sake, in which it culminates the events of the game with the state of the universe, as told from the pinpoint of a focal character.
Tl;tr: we don't know haha.
Poodlestrike
Banned
If I'm right about the Forerunners coming back, he's probably giving the speech to them.
wesleyshark
Banned
It's possible. There isn't an exact number of Forerunners listed who left with IsoDidact after the Halos were fired, but it's not impossible to theorize that perhaps other groups escaped as well, or perhaps, dissension occurred within the IsoDidact group at some point after their escape. Or even perhaps, some Forerunners made it to other shield worlds in time and have been hidden away up until now.
He's talking to the Forerunners, pre-catyclysm. (This has been confirmed via the Catalog posts on Waypoint.) The whole point of his speech is that he doesn't agree that the Halo Array is the last option the Forerunners have left, and that essentially leaving things in the hands of humanity is a Very Bad Idea.
GringoSuave89
Banned
Yup, confirmed via Catalog. See above
wesleyshark
Banned
Yup, confirmed via Catalog. See above
Cheers for that! Missed this bit from Catalog. That's great to have confirmation on that, then.
wesleyshark
Banned
[Domain String A]:
The timeline is feeling a bit ripe for the return of some very old foes. Given the reports of something unconfirmed and occurrences shrouded in speculation on the fringes of known space, one might hazard to guess that it could be somewhat directly related to The Flood, and/or the resurgence of a new Gravemind. There are many other potential threats that this could be in reference to, but it seems like such a right kind of window for things to be tossed from the frying pan again...
As it happens, The Flood is very much to be a part of the endgame for humanity's potential ascension to the Mantle. What makes this so curious, and treacherously so, is how much of a mirror image exists between what the UNSC is becoming, through ONI, and what led to the collapse of the Forerunner empire. Where the Forerunners failed, will humanity stand?
There's so much that went blitz when the decision was made to fire the Halos. So many puzzle pieces. Not enough time to sort them all. Scattered across the galaxy these pieces are hidden, waiting to be discovered. Waiting for the Reclaimers. But what then? How can one man be a hero when he is also labeled a traitor and deserter? How will the genesong seeded deep within him find its way to the surface, to urge him to the right places, to show him what he needs to do?
A target, marked. Hunter. Prey. Searching for redemption. Salvation. Resurrection. Searching for the humanity that was locked away and trampled underfoot. Clenched in his fist. Cracked across his eyes. He is one man. One soul. But he is so much more than that.
Son.
Abductee.
Victim.
Orphan.
Recruit.
Soldier.
Warrior.
Ally.
Hero.
To some, he is a savior.
To others, he is a traitor.
But who is he, truly? And why is it he, at the risk of it being given so haphazardly and circumstantially, who must bear the weight of so many worlds? What did the Librarian forsee? What did Halsey fulfill? What did Cortana gravitate so strongly towards? Why did the Gravemind show mercy? Was it destiny? Was it luck? Is it merely him? Or is it something deeper? Something buried. Something ancient. Something timeless...
The Mantle calls.
There is a vessel... But who will answer? And when the answer is uttered, will they be able to make their stand against such an ancient and unfathomable consciousness, that has seethed throughout a multitude of millenia?
The timeline is feeling a bit ripe for the return of some very old foes. Given the reports of something unconfirmed and occurrences shrouded in speculation on the fringes of known space, one might hazard to guess that it could be somewhat directly related to The Flood, and/or the resurgence of a new Gravemind. There are many other potential threats that this could be in reference to, but it seems like such a right kind of window for things to be tossed from the frying pan again...
As it happens, The Flood is very much to be a part of the endgame for humanity's potential ascension to the Mantle. What makes this so curious, and treacherously so, is how much of a mirror image exists between what the UNSC is becoming, through ONI, and what led to the collapse of the Forerunner empire. Where the Forerunners failed, will humanity stand?
There's so much that went blitz when the decision was made to fire the Halos. So many puzzle pieces. Not enough time to sort them all. Scattered across the galaxy these pieces are hidden, waiting to be discovered. Waiting for the Reclaimers. But what then? How can one man be a hero when he is also labeled a traitor and deserter? How will the genesong seeded deep within him find its way to the surface, to urge him to the right places, to show him what he needs to do?
A target, marked. Hunter. Prey. Searching for redemption. Salvation. Resurrection. Searching for the humanity that was locked away and trampled underfoot. Clenched in his fist. Cracked across his eyes. He is one man. One soul. But he is so much more than that.
Son.
Abductee.
Victim.
Orphan.
Recruit.
Soldier.
Warrior.
Ally.
Hero.
To some, he is a savior.
To others, he is a traitor.
But who is he, truly? And why is it he, at the risk of it being given so haphazardly and circumstantially, who must bear the weight of so many worlds? What did the Librarian forsee? What did Halsey fulfill? What did Cortana gravitate so strongly towards? Why did the Gravemind show mercy? Was it destiny? Was it luck? Is it merely him? Or is it something deeper? Something buried. Something ancient. Something timeless...
The Mantle calls.
There is a vessel... But who will answer? And when the answer is uttered, will they be able to make their stand against such an ancient and unfathomable consciousness, that has seethed throughout a multitude of millenia?
TacticalFox88
Banned
So, I'm reading Halo Escalation...
Why is this considered "bad" again? Now, granted, I'm going to be the last person who'll defend it saying it's a masterpiece of Science fiction, but I mentally prepared myself for the worst with some of the comments and its...okay?
The only thing I don't really like is the art style but that's eh, whatever I'll deal.
Why do people hate this comic so much again?
Why is this considered "bad" again? Now, granted, I'm going to be the last person who'll defend it saying it's a masterpiece of Science fiction, but I mentally prepared myself for the worst with some of the comments and its...okay?
The only thing I don't really like is the art style but that's eh, whatever I'll deal.
Why do people hate this comic so much again?